Structure analysis and derivation of deformed electron density distribution of polydiacetylene giant single crystal by the combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction data

Tashiro, Koji*; Kusaka, Katsuhiro*; Hosoya, Takaaki*; Ohara, Takashi; Hanesaka, Makoto*; Yoshizawa, Yoshinori*; Yamamoto, Hiroko*; Niimura, Nobuo*; Tanaka, Ichiro*; Kurihara, Kazuo*; et al.

Macromolecules, 51(11), p.3911 - 3922, 2018/06

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00650

The Catalytic mechanism of decarboxylative hydroxylation of salicylate hydroxylase revealed by crystal structure analysis at 2.5 resolution

Uemura, Takuya*; Kita, Akiko*; Watanabe, Yoshihiko*; Adachi, Motoyasu; Kuroki, Ryota; Morimoto, Yukio*

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 469(2), p.158 - 163, 2016/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.11.087

Preparation and crystallization of perdeuterated T4 phage lysozyme for neutron diffraction

Hiromoto, Takeshi; Adachi, Motoyasu; Shibazaki, Chie; Schrader, T. E.*; Ostermann, A.*; Kuroki, Ryota

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 8, p.033003_1 - 033003_6, 2015/09

T4 phage lysozyme (T4L) is an endoacetylmuramidase that degrades the murein of the bacterial cell wall by cleaving the -1,4-glycosidic bond between -acetylmuramic acid and -acetylglucosamine. We previously reported that the substitution of the catalytic Thr26 with the nucleophilic His converts the wild-type (WT) T4L from an inverting to a retaining glycosidase, in which the -configuration of the substrate is retained in the product. We also found that the Thr26His (T26H) mutant can catalyze a transglycosylation reaction more effectively than hydrolysis, although the WT-T4L has no transglycosidase activity. To clarify the role of the substituted His26 in transglycosylation and to investigate its relationship to the neighboring acidic residue Asp20 using neutron crystallography, a perdeuterated recombinant protein of the T26H mutant (d-T26H) was prepared for crystallization. The perdeuterated form was produced in cells cultured in deuterated-rich media. After purification, the d-T26H mutant was crystallized under deuterated conditions and grown to a volume of 0.12 mm using a macroseeding technique. A preliminary neutron-diffraction experiment at 100 K at the FRM II research reactor (Munich, Germany) gave diffraction spots of up to 2.8 resolution after a 1.5 h exposure.

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase from psychrophilic sp. AS-131 isolated from Antarctic Ocean

Yonezawa, Yasushi*; Nagayama, Aiko*; Tokunaga, Hiroko*; Ishibashi, Matsujiro*; Arai, Shigeki; Kuroki, Ryota; Watanabe, Keiichi*; Arakawa, Tsutomu*; Tokunaga, Masao*

Protein Journal, 34(4), p.275 - 283, 2015/08

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10930-015-9623-0

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase isolated from psychrophilic sp. AS-131 (ASNDK) was expressed in and purified to homogeneity. Comparing to mesophilic NDK isolated from , ASNDK exhibited highly elevated thermolability: (1) expression at 37C as a denatured insoluble form, and (2) 30C lower optimum temperature of enzymatic activity. The subunit structure of ASNDK was suggested to be dimer, as in NDKs isolated from moderate halophiles.

Structure of a highly acidic -lactamase from the moderate halophile sp.560 and the discovery of a Cs-selective binding site

Arai, Shigeki; Yonezawa, Yasushi*; Okazaki, Nobuo*; Matsumoto, Fumiko*; Shibazaki, Chie; Shimizu, Rumi; Yamada, Mitsugu*; Adachi, Motoyasu; Tamada, Taro; Kawamoto, Masahide*; et al.

Acta Crystallographica Section D, 71(3), p.541 - 554, 2015/03

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1399004714027734

The crystal structure of halophilic -lactamase from sp.560 (HaBLA) was determined using X-ray crystallography. Moreover, the locations of bound Sr and Cs ions were identified by anomalous X-ray diffraction. The location of one Cs specific binding site was identified on HaBLA even in the presence of 9-fold molar excess of Na (90 mM Na /10 mM Cs). This Cs binding site is formed by two main-chain O atoms and an aromatic ring of a side chain of Trp. An aromatic ring of Trp interacts with Cs by the cation- interaction. The observation of a selective and high-affinity Cs binding site provides important information that is useful for designing artificial Cs binding sites useful in bioremediation of radioactive isotopes.

Structure and function of thrombopoietin and its receptor

Kuroki, Ryota; Miyazaki, Hiroshi*; Kato, Takashi

Ketsueki Furonteia, 25(2), p.171 - 180, 2015/02

no abstracts in English

Interaction of double-stranded DNA with polymerized PprA protein from

Adachi, Motoyasu; Hirayama, Hiroshi; Shimizu, Rumi; Sato, Katsuya; Narumi, Issey*; Kuroki, Ryota

Protein Science, 23(10), p.1349 - 1358, 2014/10

https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.2519

Pleiotropic protein promoting DNA repair A (PprA) is a key protein that facilitates the extreme radioresistance of . To clarify the role of PprA in the radioresistance mechanism, the interaction between recombinant PprA expressed in Escherichia coli with several double-stranded DNAs was investigated. In a gel-shift assay, the band shift of supercoiled pUC19 DNA caused by the binding of PprA showed a bimodal distribution, which was promoted by the addition of 1 mM Mg, Ca, or Sr ions. The dissociation constant of the PprA-supercoiled pUC19 DNA complex, calculated from the relative portions of shifted bands, was 0.6 M with a Hill coefficient of 3.3 in the presence of 1 mM Mg acetate. This indicates that at least 281 PprA molecules are required to saturate a supercoiled pUC19 DNA, which is consistent with the number of bound PprA molecules estimated by the UV absorption of the PprA-pUC19 complex purified by gel filtration. This saturation also suggests linear polymerization of PprA along the dsDNA. On the other hand, the bands of linear dsDNA and nicked circular dsDNA that eventually formed PprA complexes did not saturate, but created larger molecular complexes when the PprA concentration was greater than 1.3 M. This result implies that DNA-bound PprA aids association of the termini of damaged DNAs, which is regulated by the concentration of PprA.

Structures of drug target proteins determined by neutron diffraction

Kuroki, Ryota

Nihon No Kesshogaku, 2; Sono Kagayakashii Hatten, P. 392, 2014/07

no abstracts in English

Biomacromolecular neutron crystallography; Practical methods and utilization of neutron crystallography for understanding protein structure and function

Adachi, Motoyasu; Arai, Shigeki; Hiromoto, Takeshi; Kuroki, Ryota

Hamon, 24(1), p.45 - 49, 2014/02

https://doi.org/10.5611/hamon.24.1_45

Protein structure analysis using neutron diffraction (neutron protein crystallography; NPC) is gaining greater importance in the understanding of structure and function relationships of biological macromolecules such as proteins and DNA. Current developments of neutron diffractometers installed at the JAEA research reactor and pulsed neutron source permit observation of the locations of hydrogen atoms and hydrating water molecules and help understanding of important mechanisms of chemical reactions catalyzed by biological macromolecules. Here, we introduce practical approaches of NPC including sample preparation, crystal growth, structure determination and utilization of information obtained from NPC.

Elucidations of the catalytic cycle of NADH-cytochrome reductase by X-ray crystallography; New insights into regulation of efficient electron transfer

Yamada, Mitsugu*; Tamada, Taro; Takeda, Kazuki*; Matsumoto, Fumiko*; Ono, Hiraku*; Kosugi, Masayuki*; Takaba, Kiyofumi*; Shoyama, Yoshinari*; Kimura, Shigenobu*; Kuroki, Ryota; et al.

Journal of Molecular Biology, 425(22), p.4295 - 4306, 2013/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2013.06.010

NADH-Cytochrome reductase (b5R), a flavoprotein consisting of NADH and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) binding domains, catalyzes electron transfer from the two-electron carrier NADH to the one-electron carrier cytochrome (Cb5). The crystal structures of both the fully reduced form and the oxidized form of porcine liver b5R were determined. In the reduced b5R structure determined at 1.68 resolution, the relative configuration of the two domains was slightly shifted in comparison with that of the oxidized form. This shift resulted in an increase in the solvent-accessible surface area of FAD and created a new hydrogen-bonding interaction between the N5 atom of the isoalloxazine ring of FAD and the hydroxyl oxygen atom of Thr66, which is considered to be a key residue in the release of a proton from the N5 atom. The isoalloxazine ring of FAD in the reduced form is flat as in the oxidized form and stacked together with the nicotinamide ring of NAD. Determination of the oxidized b5R structure, including the hydrogen atoms, determined at 0.78 resolution revealed the details of a hydrogen-bonding network from the N5 atom of FAD to His49 via Thr66. Both of the reduced and oxidized b5R structures explain how backflow in this catalytic cycle is prevented and the transfer of electrons to one-electron acceptors such as Cb5 is accelerated. Furthermore, crystallographic analysis by the cryo-trapping method suggests that re-oxidation follows a two-step mechanism. These results provide structural insights into the catalytic cycle of b5R.